


Spark Scar

by Headline (Newsy)



Series: Headline's Chronicles [7]
Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), POV Original Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-28
Updated: 2013-05-27
Packaged: 2017-12-13 05:06:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/820329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Newsy/pseuds/Headline
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"How could I ever forget? This was the moment my life was set..."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shifting Sand

Nothing was happening. Nothing at all. How I wish it had stayed that way.

The others rightfully enjoyed the break from the battlefield, but I couldn’t. Chasing the story, tracking down every possible angle, occasionally dodging the blasts myself… that’s what fuels me, the passion that pulsates at the core of my Spark.

As I paced impatiently, my protégé sat nearby in quiet contemplation, staring at the scars left by the blasts he couldn’t quite dodge. Live Shot hadn’t been himself since Thundercracker’s drone rocket wounded him in the last skirmish.

I finally broke the stifling silence. "I _hate_ slow news days."

"Nice break, if you ask me," Live Shot countered. "Headline… don’t the battles ever… get to you?"

His question stopped me cold. This wasn’t my amped-up, bold and reckless charge… this was a ‘Bot whose wounds had left him physically intact, but frozen with fear.

"Ratchet said you were fine, kid," I said, kneeling down to his level. "You weren’t hit that bad."

"I know," he sighed, "but… when I got hit… it was like getting hit right in the center of my Spark. You… you get it, don’t you?"

I didn’t. I would later… but not then. "Live Shot… he just grazed you."

"You don’t understand!" he snapped. "Haven’t _you_ ever been hit? Don’t _you_ ever wonder if it’s worth it to go back out there… to get shot up again and - "

"Hey." I turned and took a seat next to my shaken friend. "If something happens, I’m gonna need you there with me." Catching his glance, I shot him a mischievous grin. "Just don’t get ahead of yourself next time, all right?"

"All right." Live Shot broke a smile for the first time in days.

"That’s more like –" My reply was rudely interrupted by a missile crashing mere yards away from the Ark. Had to be Skywarp, I figured. But at this point, I didn’t care which ‘Con was on the attack.

"We got action!" Almost relieved to hear the battle heating up again, I shifted to van mode as Prime commanded the rest of the warrior ‘Bots to transform and roll out. But I didn’t feel the familiar pounding of Live Shot’s feet jumping in for the ride.

"Get in already!" I demanded. Live Shot glanced at me, then at his wound – now barely a scratch – then back at me, an unsure, questioning look in his optics. But I wasn’t going anywhere without him; after all, what’s a war correspondent without her trusty camera/emergency sonic blaster? "Live Shot, if this is who you want to be, then this is what you have to do. Get in!"

"Right behind ya, Headline." Live Shot sounded like his old confident self as he finally climbed aboard… but I knew some reassurance couldn’t hurt.

"Don’t worry, kid, I know what I’m doing," I said, hoping I sounded calm enough. "And I’m not gonna let anything happen to you."

***   
  
Optimus Prime, typically, had taken the very front of the front line, with Ironhide as always alongside him. I had to smile at them; though far from being a warrior myself, I’d always envied Prime’s self-sacrificing style of command and Ironhide’s shoot-first, talk-later approach. "All right, kid, let’s get rollin’," I barked to Live Shot as I screeched to a halt at the rear of the battle.   
  
No response. _Maybe he’s off in his own world again,_ I thought. _Maybe he’s not really quite back to himself._  
  
"Live Shot, you awake back there?"   
  
Still no response. He hadn’t bailed out on me, had he?   
  
_"Live Shot!"  
_  
As if in reply to my last panicked call, my communicator buzzed to life. At first, the only sound was the continuous fire of Decepticon weapons. I assumed I’d just gotten an unintentional page from one of the warrior ‘Bots… after all, Hound had hit my frequency by mistake before, and it could happen again.   
  
"Hound, if that’s you, ya just called me… so you might want to –" I was cut off in midstream by a familiar voice.   
  
"Headline, it’s me! I'm gettin’ some incredible shots in here!"

  
"In here?" In the next instant, it hit me: _Live Shot’s up at the front lines!_ "Kid, get outta there! Pretty soon you won’t be getting shots, you’ll be getting shot!"   
  
"Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a –" Live Shot’s transmission was suddenly drowned out by a familiar screech near me… _Laserbeak!_ If I’d had Live Shot with me, I could have easily taken down that pesky pigeon. But alone and unarmed, I didn’t stand a chance against even one of the Earth kids’ water pistols. I had no choice but to fall back as Laserbeak swooped down for a peck at my head.   
  
Fortunately for me, Laserbeak’s aim was as feeble as ever. As I skidded out of the way, he landed beak-first, in perfect target-practice position for the ‘Bots bringing up the rear. "Headline, you gotta get back! They’ve got us on the move!" Cliffjumper shouted to me as he treated Laserbeak to a blast of glass gas.   
  
Just as I reached a new staging area, my communicator picked up another, more desperate transmission.   
  
"Headline… Headline, come in," Live Shot screamed between blasts of Decepticon fire.   
  
_"Live Shot?_ Where are you? What happened?"   
  
"I’m under attack!" His panicked message was interrupted by a burst of missile fire.   
  
"Oh _slag!_ Hold on… I’ll be there in a second!"   
  
"Headline…" His voice sounded strained as he gulped for breath. "I’m… I’m hit…" Another missile blast… then silence.   
  
"Live Shot?" No answer. I transformed to ‘bot mode for a higher vantage point.   
  
_"Live Shot!"_ Still nothing. Gathering up what courage I had left, I raced past a startled Cliffjumper toward the front lines. "Hang on, kid, I’m coming!"   
  
"Headline, I told ya to get back!" Cliffjumper warned me. "Bad kitty at 9:00!"   
  
Too late. I felt a _chomp_ on my leg. Ravage. "Get – off me – you – stupid – cat!" I grumbled, trying to kick him away. But he knocked me on my back with a swipe of his paws. I landed hard on Ravage’s tail, sending him into a hasty retreat but finding myself nearly immobilized in pain.   
  
Out of options and stuck in robot mode, I struggled to reach my communicator. I knew he wouldn’t appreciate me jumping in, but what choice did I have? "Prime… Prime, this is Headline… come in."   
"Headline?" Prime responded, sounding at once surprised and stern. "What are you doing on a battle frequency?"   
  
"Live Shot… he’s in the middle of it… he’s hit… I can’t reach him."   
  
_"In the middle of the_ \- you know that’s no place for civilians! – Are _you_ all right?"   
  
"Negative, sir… Ravage got me… can’t transform."   
  
"Stay put, Headline. Sunstreaker’s on his way," Prime reassured me, as I heard the roar of Sunstreaker’s engine in the background.   
  
"Understood… and… thanks."   
  
Helpless, I stared into the sky above me and thought of the one I’d left behind. _I told that kid not to get ahead of himself… will he get out alive this time? Will he know I tried to get to him?  
  
Will he… blame me?   
_  
An unexpected wave of guilt washed over me as I recalled the beginning of the battle. _"If this is who you want to be…"_ How cold I must have sounded… how harsh and unfeeling… and intimidating… and wrong. Live Shot was my friend, not some faceless drone under my command.   
  
My friend… would I ever see my friend again? Or had my forcefulness destroyed him? I shut my optics tightly, somehow hoping to erase that thought from my mainframe. _Live Shot, please be all right… I’m sorry, kid… I’m sorry…  
_  
"Headline?"   
  
I forced my optics open against their will. "Sunstreaker…"   
  
"Come on." Sunstreaker, in vehicle mode, pulled up alongside me. "Climb up on my back if you can… I’ll have you in repairs in no time."   
  
"But Live Shot’s still out there!" I strained to get to my feet and staggered weakly in the direction of the battle lines.   
  
"Sideswipe’s out looking for him now. As for you –" Sunstreaker grabbed my hand as he transformed.   
  
"I told him I was coming! I _have_ to go back for him," I insisted, trying in vain to break free from Sunstreaker’s grip.   
  
"No you don’t!" Sunstreaker pivoted me in the direction of the Ark. "You’re gonna go see Ratchet… Prime’s orders."   
  
"Live Shot, I hope you’re out there," I whispered. "I’m sorry, kid… I wanted to go back…" I tripped over my own feet as my optics finally refused to work.   
  
"Hey… Headline… can you get up?" Sunstreaker asked.   
  
"I can’t even _see…_ everything’s all blurry…"   
  
"Whatever Ravage bit through, it must’ve been something important." Sunstreaker dropped back into vehicle mode and slowly backed toward me, as I pulled myself onto his roof with my last ounce of strength. "You just relax… I’ll get you there."   
  
_Sunstreaker isn’t himself,_ I thought. _He actually sounds… worried about me._ I blinked hard, trying to clear my vision, but to no avail. As Sunstreaker made the final turn toward the Ark, I began slipping into stasis…   
  
***   
  
"Morning, Headline!"   
  
"Mmmmmpphhh…" I creakily opened my optics to see a relieved-looking Ratchet standing over me. "Done already?"   
  
"Affirmative." Ratchet began packing up his instruments. "You looked a lot worse than you were. Just had to de-fuse your –"   
  
"Ratchet, you _were_ speaking English… don’t stop."   
  
"Let's just say you’re good as new." He shot me a typically sarcastic smile as he unhooked the last of the monitors. "All over but the polishing… and I think Sunstreaker wants to go first in that department."   
  
"You left some _nice_ scratches on my roof," Sunstreaker interjected from the other side of the medical bay, with a laugh that encouraged even me to join in.   
  
"I owe you guys my life," I said, turning serious again. "Thanks… both of you."   
  
"Headline, it’s our job… and you’re one of us," Ratchet said, stowing the last of his instruments. "You know ‘Bots never want to leave anyone behind."   
  
_Leave anyone behind!_ I looked anxiously around the medical bay several times, looking for Live Shot. Either my optics weren’t functioning right, or there was no trace of him. "Ratchet… what happened to Live Shot?"   
  
Ratchet froze, then turned back toward me, slowly shaking his head. "I’m sorry, Headline… we couldn’t find him."   
  
"Sideswipe looked everywhere he could," Sunstreaker said quietly. _"Everyone_ looked after the ‘Cons retreated. He just… wasn’t there."   
  
"So… maybe he got away?" I asked, clinging to hope that my hardy sidekick had escaped termination a second time.   
  
"Not likely," a somber Ratchet replied. "He’s been listed missing… presumed dead." He lowered his voice, moving closer to me. "Prime and Ironhide need to debrief you… but I told them you’d need a little time."   
  
I nodded, my face hidden in my hands. After a long, quivering breath, I cautiously raised my head to see Ratchet still standing over me. He looked sympathetically into my optics, silently extending his hand.   
  
"Thanks for telling me," I whispered, reaching my hand out to meet Ratchet’s. He took my hand gently in both of his.   
  
Sunstreaker approached me from behind and tentatively placed his arm around my shoulders. "You let me know when you’re up to the debriefing," he offered. "I’ll walk you there."   
  
"I’d like that," I sniffled. "But I just… I need to be alone for a minute."   
  
"I hear you," Sunstreaker said, patting me on the back as he turned away. Ratchet gave my hand a quick squeeze, then just as quickly gathered his thoughts and returned to his work.   
  
Devastated, I retreated to a secluded hallway, buried my head in my arms and wept. My trusted companion, my closest friend, was gone… and I might as well have terminated him myself. I wondered how much pain he felt, how long it took, how aware he was that he was dying… how frightened he must have been surrounded by Decepticon fire.   
  
I heard my last transmission to Live Shot echo in the back of my head: _"Hang on, kid, I’m coming!"_ Had he heard those words before his communicator cut off? Did he try to call for help again? Did he try to call for me? Did he ask why I’d left him at the mercy of the ‘Cons?   
  
At last I collected myself and slipped back into the repair bay, where Sunstreaker’s paint touch-up was nearly finished. "Sunstreaker… I’m ready," I said, trying to convince myself that I was speaking the truth.   
  
"Then so am I," Sunstreaker replied.   
  
"You don’t want to finish this first?" Ratchet asked, surprised. Sunstreaker uncharacteristically shrugged off an offer for a polishing and met me at the door.   
  
We started the long walk down the corridor to the briefing room, both of us uneasily quiet for some time. He finally spoke up: "Prime might have some tough questions for you."   
  
"I know."   
  
"Sure you’re ready?"   
  
"Gotta do this sometime… Sunstreaker, why are you doing this?"   
  
"Doing what?" he asked, stopping and turning toward me.   
  
"Just… being there for me, you know. No offense, but… this isn’t like you."   
  
"I know… I guess I can see myself in your position," Sunstreaker answered. "I mean… Sideswipe and I have our differences, but if anything happened to him… I wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on anyone."   
  
I tried to turn away. "It’d almost be easier to get shot myself."   
  
"Hey. That won’t happen. Not on my watch."   
  
"Didn’t know this _was_ your watch," I said with a slight smile.   
  
"That’s more like it," Sunstreaker laughed as we resumed walking, now a bit closer together.   
  
I turned toward him just before entering the briefing room. "Sunstreaker… thanks. I needed a friend."   
  
Sunstreaker paused, then smiled. "Go get ‘em," he said, giving me a friendly punch in the shoulder. "You’ll be fine."   
  
"I hope so," I sighed as I slowly turned to face Ironhide and Prime. The door of the briefing room ominously slammed closed behind me.   
  
***   
  
"Headline, what exactly did Live Shot say in his last transmission?" Prime asked me… only the latest in an hour-long series of questions.   
  
"He just said he was hit and… and that was the last I heard of him," I said deliberately, struggling to keep my emotions in check. "I… tried to go after him, but –"   
  
"That’s all I need to know," Prime said, silencing me. As I turned to leave, he stopped me with one final question. "Headline… how are you?"   
  
I froze in my tracks, puzzled. "Prime, I’m functioning perfectly. You can ask Ratchet."   
  
"That’s not what he asked you," Ironhide said quietly.   
  
How was I? True enough, I was physically in top shape. But mentally? Mentally I was shaken… confused… angry at those blasted ‘Cons, angrier still at myself… under the crushing weight of guilt and despair. But how could I tell them that?   
  
"It’s my fault," I heard myself blurt out. I began berating myself aloud, my voice choked in fury and raw pain. "I lost him… he _trusted_ me and I _lost_ him!" I abruptly turned away, trembling, squeezing my optics closed.   
  
I heard Ironhide take a few steps toward me. "Headline… we all get it," he reassured me. "We’ve all lost friends out there."   
  
"I had a _choice,_ Ironhide," I said, turning again to face him. "You and Prime, you don’t have that choice… you _have_ to go into battle, the others _have_ to go with you. But I didn’t _have_ to make Live Shot come with me." I lowered my head. "I made the wrong choice… and it… _I…_ cost him his life."   
  
"You didn’t make any choices that you hadn’t made before," Prime said, rising from his seat. "If anyone made the _wrong_ choice, it was Live Shot himself. He shouldn’t have been in the middle of the battle, especially not alone." He motioned to Ironhide to open the door. "We’re just trying to put the pieces together, Headline… we’re not here to question your judgment."   
  
"Thank you, sir," I stammered. "Am I… done?"   
  
Prime nodded as Ironhide ushered me out the door. Making my way to the seclusion of the sleeping quarters, I whispered a message to my lost friend. "Live Shot… it’s not gonna be the same without you, kid… but I’ll be back out there… for you."   
  
***   
  
"Headline?" Sunstreaker’s voice echoed through the Ark. _"Headline!"_   
  
"What? I’m right _here,"_ I grumbled, reluctantly emerging from my self-imposed solitary confinement.   
  
"You’re not gonna believe this," Sunstreaker said as he grabbed my arm and pulled me frantically down the hall toward Teletraan-1. "Hound snagged some pictures from Decepticon HQ and… well, just watch."   
  
"Hound intercepts ‘Con signals every day," I muttered. "What’s so big about these… and why do you want _me_ in here for them? Don’t you usually lock me out of intel briefings?"   
  
"This is no intel briefing, Headline," Sunstreaker said, looking at once excited and disturbed. "This is a search and rescue mission."   
  
"Search and… who’s missing?" I asked, switching back briefly to the familiar comfort of my journalistic mindset.   
  
"Just _watch,_ would ya?" Sunstreaker’s hand on my shoulder signaled me to stop in front of Teletraan-1.   
  
"Playing back," Hound said, punching a few buttons. Teletraan’s screen lit up, first with static… then with an image that knocked me back several feet in shock.   
  
He was hooked up to wires and monitors beyond number. He bore the obvious scars of severe battle wounds. But he was alive, and he was emerging from stasis.   
  
_"Live Shot!"_ I exclaimed, still in disbelief. "Prime… we’ve gotta rescue him. I know I’m no fighter, but I’ll do anything I –"   
  
"It won't be that easy, Headline," Prime said, shooting me a warning glance. I turned my attention back to Teletraan’s flickering screen.   
  
The first voice we heard was Megatron’s. "Hello… Live Shot."   
  
_"Megatron!"_ Live Shot strained against the wires to train his laser pistol on Megatron.   
  
"Wait! I have come to talk, not to harm you," Megatron said, raising his hands in what I assumed to be a feigned appeal for truce.   
  
"Don’t fall for it," I whispered… then shuddered as Live Shot dropped his weapon.   
  
"You were… struck by Autobot fire," Megatron continued. "I found you in stasis lock and brought you here. And if I’m reading these outputs correctly, you are nearly at normal function."   
  
_"Autobot_ fire – that’s a steaming pile of slag!" I shouted. "I _know_ I heard ‘Con missiles – Prime, you believe me, don’t you?"   
  
"Well, since Megatron hasn’t spoken a word of truth since before Ironhide rolled off the line…" Prime said, with a half-smile in his right-hand ‘Bot’s direction.   
  
"Hey!" Ironhide replied in mock disgust, as we turned back to the screen.   
  
"What… what happened to Headline?" Live Shot asked as Megatron removed him from the monitors.   
  
"I’m right here, kid," I said quietly.   
  
"She _ran,_ Autobot," Megatron snapped. "She retreated… and abandoned _you."_   
  
"That’s impossible!" Live Shot retorted. "Maybe she had to retreat… but I _know_ she wouldn’t have just left me… she would’ve gotten help."   
  
"But _help_ never came… did it?… I am the only one who came to your aid, _Autobot."_   
  
_"Liar!"_ Live Shot fired on Megatron, sending him flying across the room. "I'll never trust a _Decepticon!"  
_  
Megatron staggered to his feet. "You exhibit great courage, Live Shot… not to mention unexpected firepower. You would make a fine Decepticon indeed."   
  
"I won’t take these kinds of _insults,_ Megatron!" Live Shot trained his pistol on Megatron once more.   
  
"Before you fire again… consider this. Would you rather serve the one who rescued you… or the ones who would have let you be _terminated?"_ Live Shot held his weapon firm, pointing it square in the ‘Con leader’s face. "If you choose to serve me, stand down," Megatron went on. "If you wish to remain an Autobot… prepare to die."   
  
My young friend slowly lowered his weapon and spoke the words that still feel like a hundred energon flails piercing my Spark. "As you command… Megatron."   
  
As Prime gathered the forces, I tried to do the same with my thoughts. If Live Shot really had gone Decepticon, how in Primus’ name would we ever get him back? Would he willingly return to our side… would he even allow himself to be taken alive?   
  
"We never leave one behind," Prime said to the warriors clustered around him. "That goes for a civilian every bit as much as one of us." He paused, looking each one of his men in the eye. "But this will be a dangerous mission… one that I won’t _order_ any of you to join," he continued, stepping back. "Do I have volunteers?"   
  
Ironhide stepped forward first, followed immediately by Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, then the rest in quick succession. I silently watched as, one by one, the ‘Bot warriors offered to put their own Sparks on the line to rescue Live Shot. How could I stand idly by?   
  
"Prime," I said, timidly taking a few steps forward to join the troops. "Like I said, I know I’m no warrior… but I’m not staying behind. That’s my friend the ‘Cons took… and I’m not about to let ‘em keep him."   
  
"And we’re going to need you, Headline," Prime answered. "To take Live Shot back by force would make us no better than the Decepticons. But with your encouragement, he may return just as willingly as he left."   
  
"So I’ll be a negotiator?"   
  
"Essentially." Prime looked at once stern and concerned as he singled me out. "And as a negotiator, you’ll remain as you are… neutral and _unarmed…_ which means you will work by communicator and remain _at the rear._ Is that clear, Headline?"   
  
"Understood, sir," I said as I glanced around at the men. "Thank you… all of you. Even if we’re not successful… your sacrifice means everything to me."   
  
"Whaddayamean, ‘if we’re not successful’?" Ironhide asked, with a wry smile. "All of us, plus one pissed-off fembot… Megs doesn’t stand a chance."   
  
"Right," I said with a forced laugh. Of course, Ironhide’s word could be trusted… he was one of the most combat-hardened, seasoned fighters the ‘Bots counted among their ranks. What he said before a battle, in my experience, was usually proven correct at the front lines. But that was my experience _covering_ the war with the ‘Cons… not _fighting_ it. Even if Megatron eventually retreated as he often did in the face of an Autobot assault, would we get Live Shot back in one piece? Would _I_ come back in one piece?   
  
I took a place at the rear, flanked by Bumblebee and Cliffjumper and protected in front by Brawn, as Prime shouted his familiar command: "Autobots… transform and roll out!"   
  
***   
  
We screeched to a stop at an eerily silent cliff overlooking the submerged Decepticon ship. "It’s too quiet," I whispered to no one in particular.   
  
"Not anymore!" Bumblebee called over his shoulder as he motioned for me to fall back. He was right: emerging from below us were Thundercracker, Skywarp, Starscream and Soundwave. I scrambled backwards, startled, as Rumble and Frenzy ejected and transformed.   
  
"Hey, look!" one of them jeered. "The Auto-bums brought a _girl!"_   
  
"Brawn, do me a favor," I grumbled. "Whichever one that was… _take him out."  
_  
"Gladly," Brawn said as he charged Rumble and picked him up.   
  
"And I’ll clean up the rest," Bumblebee added, shoving Frenzy off the cliff as Brawn threw Rumble in the same direction. Frenzy clung to the edge of the rock face until Cliffjumper finished him off with a quick blast of glass gas.   
  
Too bad none of them touched Soundwave… Ravage ejected, transformed and lunged toward me in one fluid motion, appearing determined to finish me off this time.   
  
"Nice try, Decepti-kitty!" I snapped, sidestepping Ravage. But the cat was a thought ahead of me. He turned and, before I could react, pounced on my back.   
  
_"Not again!"_   
  
Struggling against Ravage, I turned my head in the direction of the voice… Sunstreaker. He sent Ravage mewing in retreat with an electron pulse before rushing to help me up.   
  
"Looks like you came to my rescue again," I said breathlessly.   
  
"Looks like it," Sunstreaker answered.   
  
"So how long are you planning on holding this over my head?"   
  
"Eh… that wouldn’t be any fun." He playfully patted me on the head and smiled, then turned back toward the front line.   
  
Before long, Sunstreaker had neutralized Skywarp, Sideswipe had left Thundercracker full of holes, Ironhide had blown Starscream back to base, and Hound had taken out Soundwave before he and his little friends could do any more damage. _Nothing like the ‘Bot warriors at their finest,_ I thought, as the war correspondent in me began composing the account of the daring rescue.   
  
The chilling voice of Megatron refocused my attention on the matter at hand. "I know what you’ve come for, Autobots… or rather _who_ you’ve come for," he said, unseen. "But I regret to inform you… this time your prize will go unclaimed."   
  
"We’ve already sent the best of your soldiers to the repair bay, Megatron," Prime reminded him. "You don’t want to force us to do more. Now show yourself, or –"   
  
"Oh, you _won’t_ be doing any more," Megatron countered, finally emerging… with a familiar weapon in hand.   
  
"You’re back!" I cried, straining toward the front line against the strength of Brawn’s grip on my shoulder. "Live Shot, you’re back!"   
  
"You’re not goin’ anywhere, Headline," Brawn said, almost under his breath. "D’ya forget you don’t have a _gun_ right now?"   
  
"Wrong, _female,"_ Megatron snapped. "Your _comrade_ is not ‘back’… he does not wish to return to you."   
  
Unable to contain myself, I shoved Brawn aside and rushed forward to confront the treacherous ‘Con commander. "That’s a lie, Megatron!" I shouted. "Let Live Shot go!"   
  
"I most certainly will _let him go,"_ Megatron taunted me, as he slowly loosed his grip on his new weapon. "Live Shot… prove me right."   
  
Live Shot transformed before he hit the ground, then slowly advanced… his laser pistol pointed directly at my Spark chamber. "I’m not gonna do what _you_ did, Headline," he sneered. "I won’t leave you for dead… I’m gonna stay right here and _watch."_


	2. Warrior's Code

He had been my trusty sidekick, my protégé, my best friend. He had been presumed lost in battle, then discovered in Megatron’s clutches… then coerced to Megatron’s side.  
  
And now, Live Shot stood poised to terminate me.  
  
"Aren’t you gonna do anything, Headline?" he snarled. "You ran once before… aren’t you gonna run this time?"  
  
"Live Shot, I’m not running anywhere," I said, as calmly as I could. "And I didn’t run last time. I _wanted_ to come back for you."  
  
"Right," Live Shot scoffed. "You said you were coming back… and then you fell off the face of the planet."  
  
"I was attacked," I protested. "And you know as well as I do that I’m unarmed…" I composed myself quickly after a cautioning look from Prime. "That’s beside the point. You’ve seen what the ‘Cons do from every perspective now… are you sure you really want to be called one of theirs?"  
  
"Megatron rescued me when I didn’t have a chance," Live Shot said coldly, his pistol still aimed squarely at my Spark chamber. "Unlike _you,_ Headline, I know something about loyalty."

"Kid… it’s _loyalty_ that brought us all out here in the first place," I said, taking a cautious step forward. "We never leave one behind… remember?"  
  
A look of confusion developed on Live Shot’s face. _Good,_ I thought. _At least he doesn’t look menacing anymore.  
  
_ "Your only reason for being a Decepticon right now is that Megatron carried you off the battlefield… right?" I continued.  
  
"He took me back for repairs after I was hit by Autobot fire," Live Shot replied, a little more tentatively than before.  
  
"I heard a lot of fire on your last transmission… and none of it was Autobot fire."  
  
"Well, then, who - "  
  
"Don’t listen to her!" Megatron stormed. "She’s the one who left you on the battlefield!"  
  
"And I’m also the one who tried to get to you," I said, beginning to lose what was left of my cool. "I was damaged… Sunstreaker can tell you… he nearly had to drag me back for repairs."  
  
Live Shot slowly began lowering his weapon. "You were… you were damaged?"  
  
"Look," I said, as I slipped into my familiar tone. "You don’t know what happened after you were hit. _I do._ Sideswipe went out and looked for you… _everyone_ looked for you. We couldn’t find you anywhere…" My voice began to quiver as I remembered those dreadful moments in Ratchet’s repair bay. "We thought you were dead."  
  
"I almost was."  
  
"I know… and you have no idea how glad I am that you’re all right now, kid. But you’re being misled, Live Shot. When we found out you were alive – look at everybody here. This was a _volunteer_ mission… look at everybody who volunteered to come find you."  
  
Live Shot glanced nervously around at the ‘Bot warriors. On a signal from Prime, they lowered their weapons.  
  
"We won’t hurt you," I continued. "We want to help you, kid… we want you back." I paused, looking intently into my friend’s optics. _"I_ want you back. Nothing’s been the same without you."  
  
As Live Shot edged cautiously toward me, pistol lowered, Megatron grabbed him from behind. "What are you _doing?"_ he fumed. "Shoot her _now!"  
  
_ "No, Megatron," Live Shot said coolly. "I won’t do it. I’m an _Autobot_ now… and Headline’s my friend."  
  
"Shoot her now," Megatron growled, "or I will obliterate both of you myself." He pushed Live Shot forward with the barrel of his gun.  
  
With a desperately sad expression on his face, Live Shot raised his weapon and once more pointed it at my Spark chamber… then raised it slightly, aiming instead for my right shoulder. He gave me a knowing look as he placed his finger on the trigger.  
  
I nodded slowly, steeling myself for the only chance Live Shot had to save both of us.  
  
He pulled the trigger, dealing me a surface wound to my shoulder. As soon as his weapon discharged, Sunstreaker charged forward.  
  
"Sunstreaker, _no!"_ I shrieked, as Sideswipe kept me from running into the line of fire. But it was too late for Live Shot: Sunstreaker sent a rocket directly into his Spark chamber. Live Shot flew backwards with the concussion, crashing into Megatron, and collapsed in a crumpled heap at the cliff’s edge.  
  
As Prime took on Megatron somewhere behind me, I stared quietly at my friend’s broken body. "Get up, kid," I said under my breath, willing Live Shot to survive. "Say something… _anything…_ just – let me know you’re there."  
  
Sideswipe forced me behind him while the remainder of the battle wound down. Seconds turned into minutes… and still Live Shot lay frozen on the ground. My disbelief turned to fury at Sunstreaker’s betrayal as my mind finally snapped.  
  
With a surge of power unlike any I had experienced before – or have experienced since – I tossed Sideswipe aside and rushed to Live Shot’s aid. "Didn’t you see what he did, Sunstreaker?" I screamed, enraged, nearly in tears. "He _had_ to shoot me! This _had_ to happen or Megatron would’ve scrapped us both!"  
  
Blinded to the fight around me by a rush of raw energy, I ignored my own damage and picked up Live Shot with my good arm. I must have stiff-armed half of the ‘Bot warriors as I sprinted toward the Ark… but even today, even with my memory circuits functioning at their best, I can’t tell you who tried to stop me.  
  
Two-thirds of the way there, well back from the battle lines, Live Shot awoke, groaning in agony. "It’s me, kid… it’s Headline," I said softly, turning his face toward mine with my free hand, relieved to see the smallest sign of life from him. "We’re almost there… we’re almost home."  
  
With what must have been the last of his strength, Live Shot wrapped his arms around my neck as tightly as he could. I squeezed him a little more tightly in return… then pushed open the door to the Ark and made my way toward the medical bay.  
  
***  
  
My shoulder freshly repaired by Wheeljack, I slipped into a corner of the adjoining room where Ratchet had been working on Live Shot for hours. "Ratchet… how is he?" I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.  
  
Ratchet turned at the sound of my voice and somberly approached me. "He was beyond help before you got him here, Headline… I’m sorry."  
  
"Is he…"  
  
"No, but I’m afraid he will be soon." Ratchet began packing his instruments. "There’s nothing left to do but… wait," he continued as he turned toward me and lowered his voice. "I think he’d like it if you waited with him."  
  
I nodded wordlessly, numbly, as I took a seat beside the deathbed of the closest friend I’d ever had. Staring at the monitors recording Live Shot’s erratic vital signs, I only broke my trance when I heard him stir.  
  
"Headline…" he mumbled, straining to open his optics.  
  
"I’m here, kid… I’m here," I whispered, taking Live Shot’s hand in both of mine.  
  
"I’m gonna… die, aren’t I?" he said, matter-of-factly.  
  
"I wish I could tell you no."  
  
"Headline… about all this… it was my fault, I know. Believing Megatron… thinking I was gonna turn into a ‘Con… I was so stupid."  
  
"Shhh…" I gently touched my finger to his mouth. "Don’t talk like that."  
  
"You’re not mad?… I mean – I shot you."  
  
"You had to," I replied, swallowing a surge of anger at Sunstreaker. "There’s plenty of blame to go around. Besides… if I’d kept going after you in the first place –"  
  
"If you did that, you’d probably be dead right now," he cut me off, in a surprisingly strong voice from one so weak. "And if I can’t blame myself… then _you_ can’t blame yourself either… all right?"  
  
"All right… it’s a deal. Like I said… plenty of blame to go around anyway." I leaned closer to him. "But… just listen to me for a minute. If it weren’t for your quick thinking… if it weren’t for _you…_ I’d _definitely_ be dead right now." I winked, with a slight smile. "You sure know how to have lousy aim."  
  
"Thanks… I think," Live Shot sighed, with a halfhearted smile of his own.  
  
I gave him a friendly peck on the forehead. "You know how brave you were out there, kid?… You know how brave you’re being right now?"  
  
"I… I guess," he stammered as the monitors showed even more erratic patterns than before. Catching a glimpse of his own failing vitals, he turned quickly to me, trying his hardest not to appear panicked. "Headline… can you be brave and scared at the same time?"  
  
"Of course," I said, as I tenderly lifted his shattered, shaking form into my lap. "Of course." Somehow, he seemed smaller than I remembered him.  
  
Live Shot rested his head on my shoulder and gradually stopped trembling as the last of his life force faded. Suddenly, with the final pulse of his Spark, he locked his gaze firmly on me.  
  
"Till all… are one," he said deliberately, his optics flickering and darkening.  
  
"Till all are one," I replied as the monitors finally flatlined. I clutched my friend’s lifeless body tightly to my chest, then rose carefully to my feet to lower him back onto the bed. "We got you back, kid… we got you back."  
  
"Nineteen-oh-seven," Ratchet murmured, necessarily emotionless for a moment as he recorded the time of death for the files. I turned toward him, and just as he had once before, he offered a sympathetic hand. "Headline… you gonna be all right?"  
  
"Eventually," I said faintly, allowing Ratchet to wrap his arm around my shoulders. "It’ll take me a while, though."  
  
"I know." With a soothing pat on my back, Ratchet released me. "Take care of yourself."  
  
I nodded, turning back one final time to see Wheeljack somberly removing the monitors from my friend’s body. "Goodbye, Live Shot," I choked out… then rushed out of the medical bay and into my quarters before I had the chance to break down completely.  
  
***  
  
The written account of the cold details was finished, the briefing yet to come. Now came the part of my job I usually enjoyed most: my ever-so-rare venture into on-the-record commentary. Pausing often to gather myself, I read back the mix of anguish and determination I’d poured onto the screen:  
  
"In the words of Ironhide, ‘we’ve all lost friends out there’. Now, ‘all’ includes this writer, and I can’t help but feel completely responsible. Live Shot had a way of getting ahead of himself – which he undoubtedly learned from me, and which cost him his life."  
  
I stopped to clean up a few typos and continued: "Now I find I must respond to the very question I’ve posed to so many of the warriors I follow: what’s next? And the answer is, as it always has been, move on. Grieve the losses, learn from the missteps, prepare for the next battle and keep your head low."  
  
A knock on the door broke my concentration. "Come in," I called, slightly annoyed.  
  
"Nicely done as always," Sunstreaker said as he entered. "Prime and Ironhide are –"  
 _  
"You!"_ I snarled, glaring fiercely at him. This ‘Bot I’d come to trust more than anyone save Live Shot… now I only thought of him as a traitor, an assassin.  
  
"Yeah… me," Sunstreaker said, taken aback.  
  
"What were you _thinking?"_ I demanded. "How could you have… you _killed_ him!"  
  
"I was _thinking_ you were under attack," he coolly countered. "You know the code as well as any of us… an attack on one is an attack on all… the ‘Cons shoot, we defend."  
 _  
"Live Shot wasn’t a ‘Con!"_ Half screaming, half sobbing, I took a few steps toward Sunstreaker. "I don’t care what insignia he wore… he was _always_ an Autobot to me!"  
  
"Well, whatever side he was really on… he _shot_ you, Headline," Sunstreaker snapped. "You’re lucky he didn’t land one right in your Spark chamber."  
  
"He did that on purpose!" I pushed Sunstreaker back into the wall, then placed my hands threateningly around his throat.  
  
"Headline…" he pleaded. "Headline, come on… listen for a minute."  
  
I reluctantly let go, shoving him once more. "As much as I’d like to scrap you with my bare hands, I won’t… because I’m nothing like you," I growled between gasping breaths, as I turned my back and made my way toward the briefing room.  
  
***  
  
"Prime, I hope I made it clear," I said, as he and Ironhide stopped taking down notes. "Live Shot _had_ to shoot… he missed my Spark chamber intentionally."  
  
"We know that now, Headline," Prime replied. "But Sunstreaker didn’t. All he saw was an Autobot in trouble… an Autobot _civilian,_ someone he was sworn to defend at all costs."  
  
"Any of us would’ve done the same thing," Ironhide added, casually taking the seat next to me.  
  
"I can’t order you to forget Live Shot, or to forget who fired on him," Prime continued. "But you do need to understand that Sunstreaker was simply following the way of an Autobot warrior… and he is one of our best."  
  
I nodded, chastened. "Is that all, sir?"  
  
"That’s all for –" Prime was interrupted by a sudden commotion outside.  
  
Before any of us could ask, Hound radioed to us. "Prime, we’re under attack – Decepticons firing on the Ark!"  
  
"Here we go again," Ironhide said wryly, as we rushed down the corridor to join the others in the ready room.  
  
"Any idea why they’re doing this?" I asked, grimly returning to my correspondent’s frame of mind.  
  
"Teletraan-1 hit on a major energon deposit," Hound replied, overhearing my question. "Somehow, the ‘Cons must have intercepted the coordinates… and they want to make sure they get there before we do." He paused, then turned toward me. "You’re coming?"  
  
"I have to," I said. "None of you have ever packed it in after somebody died… why should I?"  
  
"Then you’ll need this," Wheeljack shouted from across the room, tossing me my backup camera. "I hope you don’t mind if I made a few modifications… _somebody_ threw it out a few months ago, and I couldn’t resist."  
  
"Yeah… _somebody_ didn’t think she’d ever need it again," I said under my breath.  
  
"Wait just a minute, Headline," Ironhide said, holding me back as Prime began his pre-fight pep talk to the forces. "If you’re coming with us… you’re gonna need _this,_ too." He handed me a pistol, gave me a slap on the back and joined the rest of the troops in transforming and rolling out.  
  
I stared at the weapon in my hand… cold, inanimate… strange. It seemed wrong to carry something that couldn’t transform… something I couldn’t talk to. An escalation in the battle woke me from my reverie, and I hurriedly converted to van mode and skidded out the door of the Ark.  
  
***  
  
I pulled up behind the ‘Bot troops and transformed, fluidly catching my camera in my right hand and my new weapon in my left. Something about being out in the field always seems to drain my typical clumsiness. Stashing my pistol at my waist, I maneuvered as close to the front line as I safely could… just in time to catch the conclusion of another long and utterly useless speech from Starscream.  
  
"…And this time, nothing will stop us!" the ‘Con who would be commander boldly proclaimed, as his Seeker brethren swooped in from behind him. Skywarp veered to the right, Thundercracker to the left, as Starscream aimed his null ray at Ironhide.  
  
"It’s time you came up with some new lines," Ironhide said as he iced his adversary with supercooled nitrogen.  
  
"Starscream, you _idiot!"_ Megatron boomed, knocking the frozen fighter aside. "Did I not say _surprise attack?"  
  
_ "Surprise this, Megatron," Prime interjected as he pointed his laser blaster between Megatron’s optics.  
  
"Now _that’s_ a good line," I muttered to myself, zooming in on the barrel of Prime’s gun. It had been so long since I’d been responsible for my own B-roll that I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed being behind a camera.  
  
"Very well, Prime," Megatron confidently replied. "I have some surprises of my own… _now,_ Soundwave!"  
  
"Oh, no… not _them_ again," I groaned, as Soundwave began his familiar monotonous droning.  
  
"Rumble… Frenzy… eject… operation… destruction." The two tapes responded to Soundwave’s command and, piledrivers down, took positions on each side of the Ark.  
  
Bumblebee’s words echoed my thoughts. "They’re gonna try to bury the Ark!"  
  
"Not if I can help it," Brawn said, grabbing Frenzy by the legs and hurling him feet-first into Rumble’s chest… all dead center in my shot. Perfect. Wrapped up in composing the text to go with my pictures, I barely heard Soundwave order another of his minions to eject.  
  
"…Operation… distraction."  
  
"Distraction?" I said to no one in particular, turning around to see a cat with whom I’d become far too familiar.  
  
Ravage snarled menacingly as he pounced in my direction. Backpedaling, I glanced around in all directions and saw no available backup to call. "Aw, _slag,"_ I grumbled… then remembered I wasn’t quite out of options. In one motion, I tossed my camera aside, drew my pistol and gamely pointed it at Ravage. "I wouldn’t do that if I were you, kitty-cat," I warned him.  
  
He sprang for me anyway.  
  
With a startled yelp, I pulled the trigger as I fell.  
  
Apparently I hadn’t lost my aim… Ravage limped away, mewing, now and then stopping to favor the front paw I’d nearly shot clean off. "Nice one, Headline," Cliffjumper called over his shoulder just before neutralizing what was left of Rumble. "One less ‘Con for us to deal with."  
  
I scrambled to my feet, pistol still in hand, and ran to retrieve the camera – but it wasn’t where I’d thrown it mere moments before. "What the –" I sputtered, looking aimlessly around until I was stopped in my tracks by a hand on my shoulder.  
  
"Looking for this?" Sunstreaker said with a typically arrogant grin as he handed me my camera.  
  
I nodded, with a tentative smile. _Sunstreaker, I get it now… I don’t blame you… I get it,_ I wanted to say… but the words wouldn’t come. And it didn’t matter at the moment; there was still a battle to finish and footage to capture.  
  
***  
  
"While hacks are less common now, Wheeljack says Teletraan-1’s security settings will be getting an upgrade to prevent more interceptions." I shook my head, frustrated. "Aw, c’mon, you can do better than that." Staring at the screen in front of me, I reworked the account of the skirmish and thought of Live Shot. About now, I’d be turning to him for a little help on the rewrite. It seemed wrong to be doing this on my own… to be doing anything on my own.  
  
"While hacks have been less common recently, Wheeljack says another upgrade to Teletraan-1’s security settings is in order to prevent future interceptions." I punched the send button, shooting my story off to Cybertron. "That’s more like it."  
  
Finally, the hard news was finished. _Twice in one day… this has never happened before,_ I thought, as I prepared myself to compose another brief commentary piece. How could I put all of my jumbled thoughts into coherent words? What one message could I convey… what one statement could sum up everything I’d learned through the simple act of shooting a ‘Con cat in self-defense?  
  
Tossing out my usual procedure of outlining first, I began a stream of consciousness: "Everything about this war is more than it seems. The Autobot way itself is more than a custom – it is a code. An attack on one is an attack on all. Shoot only when you must, only to defend self, comrade or property. Never leave one behind.  
  
"That code grows from something deeper still: a philosophy, a vision, a view of what the universe ought to be. And when the Autobots take on the Decepticons, I see more than a clash of two armies battling over energon. I see a clash of two philosophies battling over the future.  
  
"The Autobot philosophy is simple – unity through freedom. The Decepticon philosophy is equally simple – unity through conquest. What has been lost through millions of years of battles is that these two sides share one desire: _unity.  
  
_ "Here’s hoping… for both sides. Here’s hoping that instead of sitting in the briefing room reviewing strategies of war, Optimus Prime can one day soon sit across from Megatron at the table of peace. Here’s hoping that instead of shooting at each other, Ironhide and Starscream can enjoy a round of target practice for sport. Here’s hoping that we all, Autobots and Decepticons alike, can begin to repair the damage, to heal the relations, to look ahead."  
  
With a lump in my throat, I added one final line in tribute to my fallen friend: "Till _all_ are one."  
  
"Good stuff," someone behind me said. I’d forgotten I’d left the door open. Spinning around, I found myself looking into the face of Sunstreaker.  
  
"Thanks," I replied, startled.  
  
"Mind if I come in?" he asked tentatively.  
  
"Like I could stop you," I said, relaxing.  
  
Sunstreaker took a few cautious steps toward me. "I don’t blame you for hating me."  
  
"Nah… I couldn’t hate you, Sunstreaker. Not after everything you’ve done."  
  
"Everything I’ve done…?"  
  
"Just how many times have you saved my neck lately?"  
  
"Yeah, and let’s not forget how I killed your best friend," Sunstreaker retorted, with a look of regret. "Headline, I’m… I’m sorry about all this."  
  
"You were just doing your job," I said, rising from my seat and walking toward him. "It’s what you were trained to do. You saw me under attack… you couldn’t read Live Shot’s mind the way I could." I stopped to catch my breath, trying desperately to hold back the flood of emotion. "And besides… we didn’t leave him behind."  
  
"Headline," Sunstreaker sighed, reaching out to touch my hand.  
  
"I miss him so much," I whimpered.  
  
"I know… I know." Sunstreaker gently draped his arm around my shoulders as I blinked back tears. "You… want me to stay here a while?"  
  
Unable to speak, I wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed as tightly as I could. "I’ll take that as a yes," he said softly, returning my embrace as I finally collapsed and began sobbing against his chest. He held me for a long time, now and then whispering words of consolation, until I gradually calmed down.  
  
"Better?" Sunstreaker asked as I shakily raised my head.  
  
"I guess… hey… thanks," I said, looking intently into his optics. "I needed that… still need that. I’ll probably fall apart like that again one of these days."  
  
"It’s all right," he reassured me, with a kiss on the cheek. "I’m here for you… whenever."  
  
***  
  
It would be a massive understatement to say that nothing has been the same since that horrible day. I still long to hear Live Shot’s voice and see him springing into action. I’m still not used to covering the battles alone, and holding an ordinary weapon will never feel right. I don’t know if one ever truly stops mourning a best friend and trusted companion… and if I could change the past, I’d erase those dreadful moments from history in a heartbeat.  
  
As it is, though, there is nothing I can do but reflect and learn… just like I do with every story I watch from a distance.  
  
I’m not sure exactly what I’m supposed to learn from all of this. But I’m sure I’ll figure it out along the way. For now, there are battles to observe, stories to file… and, in so doing, a dearly loved friend to honor.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Original characters Headline and Live Shot created by the author. All other characters property of Hasbro and used for non-profitable entertainment purposes only.
> 
> This was Headline's first appearance in print, way back in 2004. Previous chapters in the Headline's Chronicles series were actually written several years later; the series is arranged here by internal chronology, rather than by original completion date.
> 
> Summary lyrics: "How Could I Ever Forget?" from Next to Normal - book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, music by Tom Kitt.


End file.
